By Aravinda Anantharaman | Managing Editor
India Tea News for the week ending Dec. 22
Assam to Host the Bicentenary Event for Tea
Assam, which celebrates 200 years of tea, announced the Bi-centenary Assam Tea International Conference 2024. This two-day event will take place on Jan 29th and 30th at Guwahati, Assam, and is being organized by the Government of Assam, along with the Tea Board of India, Tocklai Tea Research Association, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, just ahead of the Intergovernmental Group on Tea meeting, also at Guwahati. Registrations are open and priced at Rs 7,500 for Indian delegates and USD 110 for overseas visitors.
The event includes conferences and discussions on technology, climate change, new opportunities, etc. More details are available at the event website.
GTAC Closes the Year on a High
As we close 2023, GTAC, or the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre, has established its position as the second largest auction center in the world, after Kenya. For the year April 2023-Mar 2024, the center has sold 115 mn kilos of tea so far, at an average price of Rs 198.51, marginally lower than last year. The total value is said to be about USD 200mn.
International Tea Day
For many years, marketers promoted tea in December for commercial purposes. International Tea Day has been celebrated on December 15 since 2005, when delegates to the International Tea Conference in New Delhi signed a declaration of rights of workers and small growers to help regulate uneven competition, land ownership, safety regulations, rights of women, social security, and living wages.
The date was first proposed in 2004 at the World Social Forum to draw the attention of governments and citizens to the impact of the global tea trade on workers and growers.
The main architects were Centre for Education and Communication (CEC), India (Shatadru Chattopadhyay); Hind Mazdoor Sabha, India (Samir Roy); Indian National Trade Union Congress, India (Paramasivam); Institute of Social Development, Sri Lanka (P. Muthulingam); New Trade Union Initiative, India (M. Subbu); Red Flag Union, Sri Lanka (O. A. Ramaiha) and United Trade Union Congress, India (Ashok Ghosh) at the World Social Forum.
International Tea Day was celebrated in tea-producing countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, and Tanzania.
In 2019, the 74th UN General Assembly designated May 21 as International Tea Day and elevated the celebration to promote and foster collective actions favoring sustainable production and consumption.| UN International Tea Day
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